UNION COUNTY — Youth in Union County are one step closer to getting a helping hand from Friends of the Children.

The national nonprofit organization recently hit its $1 million goal for seed funding necessary to establish a new chapter in Union County, according to Chief Expansion Officer Angela Groves. The search for an executive director to lead the chapter is underway.

“The next big step is to hire that regional leader based out of Union County to lead the work and to work with us in partnership from here on out,” Groves said.

Friends of the Children aims to end generational poverty by providing professional mentors to children, particularly those who face multiple systemic obstacles, from kindergarten through high school graduation.

“I’ve never been more excited about a program,” Union County Sheriff Cody Bowen said.

During the past year, Bowen has been working to help bring Friends of the Children to Union County. The sheriff, who has seen the effects of generational poverty firsthand during his time in law enforcement, believes Friends of the Children can help break the cycles of violence, addiction and teenage pregnancy.

Bringing the program to the county

In April, local residents and community leaders were invited to learn more about the program and the work that has been done over the last year to bring it to Union County.

“We had that great event and then did a lot of follow-up with folks,” Groves said. “The last piece we needed at that point was to raise that remaining seed funding and we were able to successfully do that.”

Groves added that many notable local and regional funders contributed to the program as key catalytic seed funders. These included The Ford Family Foundation, Les Schwab Tire Center, Seavert Ranch, Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub, Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, King Construction, and the owners of the local State Farm Insurance office, Nate and Tami Conklin.

“The results of that event were really just far more than we could have imagined, as far as the attendance and then the response and help to build that base of local individual support, too,” she said.

Friends of the Children has 37 locations across the country with seven chapters in Oregon. The existing chapters in the state are in Western and Central Oregon: Portland, Gresham, Eugene, Bend, La Pine, Chiloquin and Klamath Falls.

Union County will be the organization’s first chapter in Eastern Oregon.

Groves said that after reaching the seed funding goal she took the new chapter to the national board for approval. It was approved and the organization filed the documents to establish the Union County chapter as an independent 501©(3) with local leadership and a board.

What comes next

Groves said that an ideal candidate for executive director will have a mix of nonprofit experience, strong leadership skills, and knowledge of Union County. It is important that the future director understands the barriers children and families face locally, as well as the resources that exist within the community to help them overcome those obstacles.

Ideally, Groves said, Friends of the Children will have identified a candidate and have extended an offer before the end of October. Once hired, the executive director won’t be left alone to figure everything out on their own.

“They’re part of a larger network of chapters across the country, so there’s a lot of other peers to lean into,” she said, “as well as a national team that’s there to support them.”

The seed funding, which covers 100% of the costs related to the first year of operation, 50% of year two and 25% of year three, will allow the incoming executive director to focus on building their team and setting up a base of operations, Groves said.

The executive director will be responsible for building out the regional board of directors and establishing the clubhouse, as well as hiring a program director, operations manager and the chapter’s first two “friends.”

Friends are what the organization calls mentors. They are full-time employees who go through a four-stage interview as well as a vetting process and background check. Each friend works with eight children — spending three to four hours each week with each child. The friends help teach valuable life skills and model healthy behaviors.

The seed funding will allow the chapter to hire two friends every year for the first three years, according to Groves.

While agreements with local partners still need to be finalized, Groves anticipates Friends of the Children working with local school districts, the child welfare system and other community organizations.

“We provide a lot of structure and resources and framework, but make it local. Adapt it and make it what it needs to be to serve local children and families best,” Groves said.

Interested in applying?

Interested in being the inaugural executive director or know someone who might be? Check out the online application online at https://bit.ly/3zMncN3.

Want to learn more?

To learn more about Friends the the Children’s mission, check out the organization’s website https://friendsofthechildren.org/ and this informational video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqDcsvSkyQk.

Questions about the Union County chapter can be directed to Angela Groves via email at agroves@friendsofthechildren.org.